Capaldi and his co-stars at Doctor Who DVD launch
Peter Capaldi has admitted that he once turned down the chance to play Doctor Who.
The actor's just completed his first run as the Time Lord in the BBC sci-fi show, but has revealed that he was invited to auditions for the 1996 TV movie.
Speaking at a Q&A for the launch of the Series 8 DVD in London, he explained: "I turned down the opportunity to audition for the role of Doctor Who in the one that Paul McGann did."
McGann eventually took the role of the Eighth Doctor and although his performance was much-loved, a series wasn't commissioned afterwards.
Explaining his decision not to try out for the role back then, Capaldi said: "I knew I wouldn't get it. I just didn't want to have the disappointment, and go through all the palaver of jumping through hoops for something that I would never get ... I knew it was an American pilot thing, and I knew they would go for somebody who was well known, which Paul was."
He added: "I loved the show so much that I didn't want to have anything to do with it was going to be me!"
Steven Moffat, showrunner was taken by surprise by the revelation, admitting: "I'd never heard that before."
Moffat also confirmed that Capaldi would be sticking around for series nine.
The Doctor Who series 8 DVD is to be available from November 24.
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